Lewis Hamilton will use his licence to thrill in this weekend's 'Duel of the Desert'

But former Formula One star and Channel 4 pundit, David Coulthard, says he — along with the majority of the paddock — rate Hamilton, 31, the better driver and would love to see him retain the world crown in an epic fight.

Coulthard, who won 13 GPs between 1994 and 2008, said: “All Lewis can do is try to win this race.

“The statistics show the chances of Nico finishing on the podium are very high but it would be an amazing cliffhanger of a finish.

“You watch James Bond movies not because you believe he can dodge bullets but because it is an escape from reality.

“He wins through in the end. He kills the bad guy and kisses the girl. We would see that Hollywood element to Lewis if he were to win the title.

Lewis Hamilton crowd-surfs along adoring fans after his win at Silverstone

“Inevitably, you have to pick sides and I am on the side of the Brits. I’d love for that fairytale to happen because it would be the bigger story.

“The bottom line is, which one of those two is the faster, more complete racing driver? I believe that to be Lewis.

“I expect it will be a bigger sense of elation for Nico, because Lewis has already done it.

“But the raw way Lewis celebrated his win in Brazil, I love to see that. It is pure passion of an outright winner.”

Despite his 12-point advantage, Rosberg, 31, has reason to be cautious for he has NEVER beaten Hamilton to a title when they have competed at the same level. The two have raced since their early teens, starting in karts and then progressing in GP2.

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And while Coulthard says Hamilton is the better driver, he admits if Rosberg were to win the title, he will deserve it.

The ex-Williams, McLaren and Red Bull star added: “Is Nico as strong an all-round package as Lewis? I think the answer the paddock would acknowledge, not just me, is that the answer is no.

“That said he would be a worthy champion. Nico won the first three races and I remember talking with him, saying the guy who did that went on to win the title each season.

Lewis Hamilton beat Nico Rosberg to first in Brazil but the odds are still heavily stacked against the Brit winning the title

“He acknowledged that but said that those guys never had Lewis Hamilton as his team-mate.

“It is not new for Nico. He has been consistently beaten by Lewis in championships they have competed.” This season, Rosberg has tried to engage with fans on social media and there is a notable improvement in his appeal.

Yet the Monaco resident, whose Finnish dad, Keke won the 1982 crown, has struggled to endear himself to the German public in the same way as Michael Schumacher or Sebastian Vettel.

Coulthard said: “Vettel was the son of a working class family overcoming the elite whereas Nico was born to a world champion father.

David Coulthard rates Lewis Hamilton as a better driver than Nico Rosberg

“His mother is German, but he raced in karting under the Finnish flag. There is probably not a lot that people can relate to.

“He has worked hard media-wise to connect but it is a little bit of a Harry Enfield character with a guy who cannot connect with other people.”

If Hamilton is unsuccessful in landing a fourth title this season, Coulthard believes it would be wrong for him to blame it on his early season reliability problems and that he must look to a number of poor starts instead.

He added: “Unless you have a fundamental flaw, the driver is a huge part of the starting system. But now they have taken away the double clutch systems, it has caught him out.”

WATCH the end of season showdown in Abu Dhabi Live This Sunday Live on Channel 4, the new home of free-to-air Formula 1 in the UK with live coverage of ten Grand Prix this season and comprehensive highlights of every race weekend. Visit f1.channel4.com for more information.